1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to medical apparatus and, more particularly, to an airway opener particularly useful in post-anesthesia applications.
2. Description of Related Art
During post-operative procedures, it is necessary to hold open the airway of an anesthetized unconscious patient. For many years and, in fact today, this is done by a nurse, or other attendant, who must hold the patient's chin in an appropriate position.
A proposed device for holding a patient's airway open during surgical procedures has been disclosed in Carden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,283. The device of this patent employs a tether which extends around the patient's chin and ties to a pylon. Various other neck support devices are known in the prior art, however, as with the Carden device they are not suitable for post-operative use. Moreover, such prior art neck support apparatus typically includes a relatively large number of parts, is expensive and complicated to use, and does not properly accommodate the needs of the post-operative patient.